Head to Galveston This Spring Break for Fun on the Beach, New Attractions

Galveston Beach Parks Open March 11, Attractions Open Daily for Spring Break

GALVESTON, TX (February 22, 2017) – Spring break is right around the corner which means flocks of Texans will be saying goodbye to winter as they head to the beach. Galveston’s beach parks will open March 11, and that’s just the beginning of things to experience on the island this season.

Galveston Beach Parks Open March 11
While Seawall beaches are open year-round, several of the island’s public beach parks – Stewart Beach, East Beach and West End Pocket Parks 1 and 2 – will open March 11 for the 2017 beach season, offering a variety of special amenities. Visitors to the beach parks can take advantage of restrooms, showers, beach chair rentals, volleyball courts, snack bars and other concessions, including horseback riding and helicopter tours. For details on the beach parks, visit www.galvestonbeachinfo.com.

$19.5 Million Beach Expansion Project Underway
If you head to seawall beaches between 12th and 61st streets, you’ll notice there’s a lot more sand than there used to be. That’s because of a $19.5 million beach expansion project that got underway in January. Beaches from 12th to 25th streets have already been completed and are open for recreation. The entire project is expected to be complete in May, replenishing the beaches with 1 million cubic yards of sand and widening them by approximately 150 feet.

Popular Galveston Attractions Open for Spring Break
Many of Galveston’s popular attractions will be open daily and offer new activities during spring break. At Moody Gardens, visitors can experience a new exhibit, Dinosaurs in Motion, which features 14 life-size dinosaur sculptures made of recycled metal. Schlitterbahn Galveston’s indoor water park will be open March 11-19 and the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier will be open March 10-19, offering thrill rides and amusements. The island’s many historic mansions and museums, such as Bishop’s Palace and the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, will also be open daily throughout the season.

Find New Experiences in Galveston’s Downtown Cultural Arts District
The Galveston Downtown Cultural Arts District, an official cultural district designated by the Texas Commission on the Arts, offers an intriguing selection of theaters, shops, restaurants, and museums that are well worth visiting. The Victorian architecture of Strand Street, widely known as The Strand, makes for a charming stroll as you shop for unique finds or grab sweets at LaKing’s Confectionery. Saengerfest Park at 23rd and Strand is a free family park home to a life-size chessboard and regular live entertainment. Be sure to also check out the district’s 20-plus art galleries, displaying fine art, sculpture and photography in beautifully restored historic buildings. Many can be found on Postoffice Street. Downtown Galveston is home to several new businesses this season, including Hubcap Grill, Play on the Strand, Style & Co. and Taquilo’s Tex Mex Cantina. For more information, visit www.galveston.com.

Take a Bucket Brigade Tour
The Bucket Brigade is a free, interactive tour offered on Galveston’s beaches. Led by volunteers from Artist Boat and marine biologists from Texas A&M University-Galveston, the tours aim to demonstrate the diversity of life found in the Gulf Coast waters and the negative effects of litter and marine debris. In addition to marine life – such as sand crabs, snails and small fish – participants also learn about other features of the coastal environment like sand dunes, rip currents and water turbidity. Tours will be offered March 16-18 during spring break and on Saturdays thereafter at 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. To sign up for a tour, visit lifeguard stand 6 at Stewart Beach or the lifeguard stand along seawall beach at 61st Street.

Shows at The Grand 1894 Opera House
The Grand 1894 Opera House has an exciting lineup of performances in store for March, including the Rob Landes Trio (March 12), 42nd Street (March 18), Galveston Symphony Orchestra (March 19) and Scrap-Arts-Music (March 24). For details, or to find more shows happening this season, visit www.thegrand.com.

Spring Activities at the Galveston Island State Park
The Galveston Island State Park offers a wide variety of outdoor activities that are free to participate in. While each person over 12 must pay a $5 entry charge to get into the park, families can enjoy beach combing, geocaching, kayaking, birding, nature field trips and fishing at no cost. Many activities require advance sign-up. The park’s nature center is open on Saturdays and Sundays March through November showing nature displays and videos pertaining to the park’s plant and marine life. For more information, visit http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/galveston-island

About Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a historic beach town located on the Gulf of Mexico just 50 miles from Houston. The island is best known as a vacation destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, a variety of family attractions, Texas’ premier cruise port and one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country, including several National Historic Landmarks. Galveston Island is home to popular amusements such as, Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, as well as a variety of museums and recreational activities from surfing to birding. For more information on Galveston Island visit www.galveston.com or call 1-888-GAL-ISLE.